The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
Author:
Genres: Children's Books, Teen & Young Adult
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Genres: Children's Books, Teen & Young Adult
Book Type: Hardcover
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!
BRILLIANT!
Its supposedly a YA book, but its really for anyone who loves fairytales. Plus, Valentes use of language is so lush (shes also a poet, which is obvious) the prose feels a little more substantial than the usual YA fare (which I love, dont get me wrong), so I really think adults would love it, even if they dont usually go for YA.
This book is about a girl named September living in Nebraska during WWII who gets whisked away to Fairy Land by the Green Wind and his Leopard. She goes on a quest (because isnt that what girls in Fairy Land are supposed to do?) to retrieve a witchs Spoon from the evil Marquess who is ruling Fairy Land with an iron fist. In the grand tradition of fairytales, she collects friends who help her on her quest, grows up along the way, and saves the world!
I loved everything about this book. I had a huge smile on my face when I finished it. It definitely incorporates a lot of familiar fairytale tropes, but Valente manages to keep things feeling fresh and innovative at the same time. Its a delicate balance, but I find a lot of her writing is really great at finding it. September herself is charming and clever and I loved her immediately. My favorite non-September character was A-Through-L, the half-Wyvern/half-library, who was forbidden to fly by the evil Marquess. I didnt see the resolution coming and really enjoyed it.
Also, the brilliant SJ Tucker created a song to go with this book. Its called Septembers Rhyme and you can listen to it at SJ's website.
BRILLIANT!
Its supposedly a YA book, but its really for anyone who loves fairytales. Plus, Valentes use of language is so lush (shes also a poet, which is obvious) the prose feels a little more substantial than the usual YA fare (which I love, dont get me wrong), so I really think adults would love it, even if they dont usually go for YA.
This book is about a girl named September living in Nebraska during WWII who gets whisked away to Fairy Land by the Green Wind and his Leopard. She goes on a quest (because isnt that what girls in Fairy Land are supposed to do?) to retrieve a witchs Spoon from the evil Marquess who is ruling Fairy Land with an iron fist. In the grand tradition of fairytales, she collects friends who help her on her quest, grows up along the way, and saves the world!
I loved everything about this book. I had a huge smile on my face when I finished it. It definitely incorporates a lot of familiar fairytale tropes, but Valente manages to keep things feeling fresh and innovative at the same time. Its a delicate balance, but I find a lot of her writing is really great at finding it. September herself is charming and clever and I loved her immediately. My favorite non-September character was A-Through-L, the half-Wyvern/half-library, who was forbidden to fly by the evil Marquess. I didnt see the resolution coming and really enjoyed it.
Also, the brilliant SJ Tucker created a song to go with this book. Its called Septembers Rhyme and you can listen to it at SJ's website.
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